The New World
by A World Imagined
Summary: Ten teenagers find themselves entering a mysterious world filled with strange places, unique items, but above all, amusing creatures that inhabit the world. To them, it's all one big adventure! Unfortunately, soon the large group will find that almost everything comes at a price, especially for those who meddle in the affairs of another world. AU.
1. Taken for a Ride

_Oh, wow, well this is the first story I have written in such a long time. Initially, I published another story on this account, but have since removed it due to my unending laziness to continue it. I apologize for any readers of it. _

_Nonetheless, I have written this story a while back, hoping to create a second part to it, but alas, I failed to do so. So, I have thought of something better, I'm just going to post it up, and see if that motivates me. Hopefully, it will!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. This is purely for fun.**

_ Guys, if you enjoy this story, please let me know. Reviews, likes and favorites will help a lot for any future readers. Thank you, and have a wonderful day. I hope you may enjoy this story._

* * *

"Nina, the phone," screamed a brunette. He continued to pick at the table, making several scratches at the edge with his nail. The phone continued to ring profusely, every sound irritating him as much as the last. "Nina, the phone!" he shouted, a little louder this time.

No response came. His older sister must've gone out, he figured. He sighed, slouching back against the dining chair. "Man," he groaned. He raised a hand, cursing the sky, before standing up, lazily making his way over to the living-room phone. "Hello, Ashton residence, this is Jason speaking."

Several seconds of silence ensued. "Hello," Jason tried again. A soft whir could be heard from the other end of the receiver, before a click. The line went dead. Jason eyed the phone strangely. "Well that was weird." He placed the phone back on the receiver, lazily making his way back to the kitchen. He groaned upon entering the kitchen, contemplating on what to do.

Another feeble attempt at trying to find something, and Jason settled on going upstairs to lie down on his bed, and see if there was anything for him there to do. Summer vacation barely started, after all.

"Let's see, well it looks like Hero and Ayami haven't called, yet," he sighed, scanning through his missed calls, after having lied down on his bed. He continued to search through his phone, switching to any missed messages. All he could find were messages from local websites he subscribed to, a few ad messages, and other dismissible messages he deemed unworthy to open. He proceeded to delete the messages, dropping his phone back on the bed, exasperating heavily. "Man, I'm so bored."

"Jason!" he heard someone shout his name.

He quickly arched his back upward, listening in, wondering who called his name. Several seconds passed. "Yeah," he shouted, in case it was his mother who had called him. He waited another few seconds, before eyeing the screen on his phone. The time read: 3:34. His mother wouldn't be out of work for another two hours.

"Jason," he heard the same voice call his name again. Feeling the hairs on his back stand up, he quickly stood erect, now alert, watching his surroundings.

"Jason…," the same voice whispered.

Feeling his spine tingle, he quickly grabbed his pocket knife, holding it up high, threatening whoever was near. "Who's there?" he shouted, his back against the bed, facing the door now. "Show yourself."

No voice responded this time, but still Jason kept alert. He wanted to move towards the door, but all the same, he felt his legs become numb at the thought of it. He swallowed hard, quickly blinking, before exhaling heavily. "All right, Jason, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's just all in your head." He smiled, chuckling a little. "Yeah, it's just all in your head."

Just to be cautious, he waited another few minutes, before deciding that there really was no danger. In any event, he kept the sharp object close to him, in case there really was something. He sat down back on his bed, every now and then eyeing the door.

It wasn't until he began to feel calm again, that he heard the same voice call his name, only it began to grow louder, each call colder, longer and more insidious than the last. "Jason…," it called.

The boy quickly stood up, gripping the pocket knife as tightly as possible, eyeing the door once more.

"Jason…," it screamed louder than the last.

He began to walk backwards, continuing to eye the door, his nerves tingling.

"Jason!"

He felt it, whatever was calling his name was right there, in front of his door. He swallowed hard, hoping that whatever he thought, was wrong.

"Jason. Jason…," the same voice hissed.

The door began to rattle, and he could have sworn he saw the knob turn slightly. Luckily, he decided to lock the door in the beginning for assurance. Still, he didn't feel completely safe.

He continued to hear hissing, feeling a strange sensation at the pit of his stomach.

"Jason. Jason. Jason," the voice began to chant rhythmically.

"Shut up," he shouted at the door.

"Jason."

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up," he shouted again, hoping that the voice would stop.

"Jason,"

He saw it, the knob turning. No, it wasn't possible. He had locked it. Wait, did he lock it? He couldn't remember anymore. Had he?

"Jason. Jason."

"No, stop. Stop!" he shouted at the door frantically. He held the knife high now, readying himself. If something was truly coming through that door, then, he thought, he might as well go down fighting.

"Jason, Jason," the voice continued.

He felt his nerves grow tense with each second that passed. He just wanted it all to be over with already. "Jason," he heard it again. He began to move towards the door, hearing his name more profusely, until…his phone rang.

He jittered, jumping slightly at the sound, holding back his teeth to keep from shouting. He eyed the phone on his bed, still looking at the door through his peripheral. He kept the knife handy. Quickly, grabbing his phone he made his way back to the door, opening it quickly, rapidly looking both ways. There was no one there.

He sighed. "Man!" he exhaled a breath of relief, before double-checking, closing his doors, and making his way downstairs. Being in his room alone, while the house was empty, was enough for him for one day. He made his way back into the living room.

Slouching back against the couch, he pulled out his phone, scrolling through his list of missed calls, searching for the one that happened recently. There was none. Instead, he found a message in his inbox. The title read: "URGENT: Jason Ashton, please read the following," he read aloud. "Okay, um," he eyed the living room, scanning it, still a little shaken up, before looking back at the screen again. "I suppose," he clicked the message, reading aloud the following content:

"Jason Ashton, age: fourteen, born August twelve…August twelve," he repeated, baffled. "Who sent this, and more importantly, how do they know who I am?" He thought on it, scanning the origins of the message, only finding the letters 'TDW' sprawled on it.

"TDW?" he asked aloud. "TDW," he thought on it again. "Triston, Dick and Wade," he shouted, smiling, feeling clever that he figured out that the message was a prank, or so he thought. "They must've been the ones who were calling my name, too," he rationalized.

He got up, looking at his surroundings, trying to find any evidence of his friends coming in. "All right guys, game's over, I know it was you." No response came back. He arched an eyebrow, looking back at his phone to read the rest of the message.

"Jason Ashton, please, heed this message. This is not a game. Do you accept?"

He blinked in confusion. "Accept? Accept what?" The boys were definitely pulling a prank on him. Two options appeared on his phone. Simple answers. A yes and a no. "Um…uh…I guess it's a." He pressed yes, thinking his friends were clearly up to something.

Dread appeared on his face when his phone went dead. In place of it, a soft sound hummed from it, before springing back to life. A woman's voice began to speak from it. "Jason Ashton,"

"What the hell?"

"Please listen carefully. You are to arrive at Rosetta Park no later than 5:00 P.M. There you will catch a bus heading eastbound towards Omni-Station, where a train will arrive to pick you up. Take it, and ride it all the way to Apex Central. From there you must go to the nearest underground subway station. Upon entering, take the first elevator available, and choose floor twenty."

"Wait, floor twenty, and take what bus again?"

"Your dedication will show whether you are one of the few chosen for this mission. Please, I must repeat, this is not a game."

"What the, wait, what's going on?" he screamed at his phone.

"Hurry now, and I will see you soon."

The message terminated from there on. Jason tried looking for it again, but as soon as the message ended, it was gone completely from his phone.

"Now what?" He slouched back against the couch again. "5:00 P.M., huh? And where the hell is Rosetta Park? I've never heard of it." He glanced at the digital clock on the cable box. It read: 4:05. His eyes widened. "Four already!" He quickly got up, shoving his phone into the pocket of his black jeans. "Dammit. I'm going to be late."

He raced outside, making sure to lock the door, before grabbing his bike, hurling himself towards the end of the street. "If I find out that those meatheads are playing a prank on me, I'm swear I'm gonna' kill em'."

* * *

"Oh, my gosh have you heard? Apparently there's some text going around saying that everyone should meet at that one subway station, you know, the one by that one networking company?"

"Oh, yes, yes I did actually. In fact, on my way over here, there were a bunch of kids lining up by the stairwell. I overheard someone got into an accident, so they've closed off the exits until they can completely evacuate the vicinity. Something about a fire hazard."

"What! Dammit" Jason screamed, causing the two women by the bench to jump in surprise. He looked at them, smiling, before apologizing. He walked over to them. "Hey, you guys know where I can catch the bus around here?"

The two women eyed him curiously, the one on the left smirking. "I don't suppose you received another one of those messages, now have you?"

Jason nodded, checking his surroundings whole doing so. He had arrived at the park almost fifteen minutes before, after using the internet on his phone to check where the park was. Now he had only a few minutes before five.

"Well, if you're trying to go on the same bus everyone else is, the one heading 'eastbound', you'll want to go over there," the woman on the left pointed out for him.

Jason eyed where she was pointing, noticing a building, apparently he missed, hidden within several trees. He thanked them.

"No problem, just be sure to be careful now. My daughter received the same message, begging me to let her go. Of course, naturally I objected at first, but Lily over here insisted I let her. I mean, she did go with a couple of her friends, so I suppose no harm done. In fact, she may just be around your age."

Jason nodded, half-attendant, his focus primarily on the building. The woman seemed to notice, allowing him to leave.

"You be careful now, and if you see my daughter, let her know to come home soon. Tell her a woman named Elizabeth said so," the woman screamed after him. "Oh shoot," the woman snapped a finger, after Jason was a good amount away, "I forgot to tell the young man what my daughter's name was."

Her friend smiled. "Try not to worry Lizbeth, Autumn is a strong girl. Besides, she's almost turning fifteen. You have to let her have some fun."

The woman smiled back at her friend. "I hope you're right."

* * *

"Come on, come on, where is it?" Jason groaned. He scanned the perimeter, looking for the bus that would take him to the station. He wondered whether the information the woman gave him was correct.

"Excuse me, young man, are you here for buses between forty-nine through fifty-seven?"

Jason turned, nodding to the man who had addressed him. "Are they the ones that take you to some place called Omni-Station?"

The man nodded. "The ones all the kids are taking for some reason. Yeah. They're right over there," he pointed.

Jason looked to find a stringed line, many kids back to back, juxtaposed in awkward positions. That was twice he had missed the obvious. "Well, I guess that's where I'm going. Thanks!"

"No problem."

Jason hurried over to where the kids were lined up, waiting for his turn to enter. It wasn't until he was within one of the buses that he forgot about having to pay.

"1.25," please, the driver requested for a fee.

Jason groaned. "Seriously, dammit, I forgot to bring some money." He shoved his hands into his pockets to double-check, but found them to come back empty. He sighed, preparing to get off the bus. "Well, so much for this trip, whatever it was." He waved the man a goodbye, before walking down the bus steps.

"Wait!" someone shouted from behind.

He quickly turned. A young girl with light hazel hair ran over to him, a few dollars fluttering in her hand.

"Just hold on a sec." She turned to the bus driver. "Mind if I pay for him?"

The bus driver shrugged. "I don't care young miss, so long as I get my fare."

She nodded, placing the requisite fare into the machine, getting back a small paper in return. "Here, for you," she held the paper out for Jason to grab.

He eyed it nervously.

"Take it,' she insisted.

He eyed it again.

"Are you going to take it or not?" the bus driver snapped.

Jason quickly grabbed it, making a scowl at the driver, before returning his gaze back to the girl.

"C'mon, you can sit next to me," the girl obliged.

Jason followed her, not wanting to seem rude. After all, she did pay for him.

"So, what's your name?" the girl asked after the two had taken seats in the middle of the bus.

"Jason," he replied.

She smiled. "Well, my name's Aurora. I know, such a lame name. You know, if I could, I would change it, but you know, my parents and all." She giggled nervously.

"No, it's a nice name. I think it's beautiful," he remarked quickly. Noticing her stare, he blushed, moving his face towards the window. He too was nervous.

An awkward silence ensued. Wanting to break it, Aurora thought of another subject to talk about. "So, you get the same message?"

Jason turned. He nodded. "At first I thought it was just some friends pulling one over me, but now I see—" he eyed the others in the bus, finally noticing that most of, if not all, its passengers consisted of young teenagers like himself.

"It's not so much like that?" she finished for him.

He nodded. "But anyways, how come you're coming?" he asked, wanting to keep the conversation going.

She fell silent.

Noticing, he quickly tried to remedy it. "Not that it's any of business, or whatever. I just meant, uh, um… I, uh,"

She giggled again.

"What?"

She nudged him. "Nothing. You're just kind of funny, that's all."

He smiled nervously. "Am I? I didn't really think I was. I mean, I do try some jokes here and there, but most of my friends just glare at me."

"Well, it's their loss."

He smiled again.

Several minutes of silence began after that. It wasn't until the bus arrived at the station, that they both stood, looking at each other once more. "So, I guess this is it, huh?" Jason began.

"I suppose."

He smiled, thanking her, before turning to leave.

"We don't have to separate, you know," Aurora quickly stated, almost shouting it.

He turned to face her.

"You- you know, because we're going to the same place and all."

He smiled again. "If you want. I mean, you can. That is, if you want."

She laughed, this time more loudly. "Let's just go." She grabbed him by his shoulder sleeve, pulling him out of the bus.

* * *

"You know, for someone I just met, you sure are quick to be aggressive," he remarked. The two stood standing, looking at a board which listed all the vehicles in the vicinity, and where they were headed.

"There it is," Aurora shouted, ignoring his remark. She proceeded to grab his shirt again, pulling him towards the left. "Two tickets to Apex Central, please," the hazel-haired young woman requested, putting forth two bills.

The man at the back of the counter took it, giving them two tickets in return.

"Okay, so we're all set." Aurora handed a ticket to Jason, taking the lead towards the designated train.

The two took seats within the train, sitting next to a couple of other teenagers who seemed busily away, talking about the same message, apparently, everyone was getting.

"Hey, Aurora." The girl turned to look at him. He blushed, clearing his throat before continuing. "I didn't get the chance to thank you properly, so thanks."

The girl nodded, waving a hand so as to say it wasn't a big deal. "I'm actually glad I was able to ride with someone, so if anything, I should be thanking you."

He grinned sheepishly. "What, your friends didn't want to come, or?"

The girl went silent again, pulling her face to look out the window. This time, she was seated on the window-side.

He grimaced, hating himself for putting her in an uncomfortable position again. He cleared his throat, hoping to touch on lighter subjects. "So, you think this is fun?"

She pulled her head from the window, giving him a raised eyebrow. "Fun?"

"Yeah, you know, like an adventure. You know, two people out in the world, exploring."

"An adventure?" she teased.

"Oh, well, not an adventure, but a journey, or maybe. Um…,"

"Journey?" she kept on teasing.

"No, I mean, not a journey, but uh. Jeez, I'm not good with these things. Well, you know what I mean, sort of." He laughed nervously, brushing the back of his head.

Aurora couldn't help but giggle, this time more genuinely. "I get what you mean," she laughed. She patted her knees. "And to answer your question, yeah. It does feel nice. Being able to go out, see new things."

"Yeah," he added quickly. He felt the silence creeping up again. He just couldn't break the ice with her.

"You know, to tell you the truth, I was never planning on actually going all the way," Aurora spoke, continuing the conversation.

He gave her a questioning look.

"I mean, I just wanted to get out, go anywhere. But now, I actually want to go wherever we're going. After having met you, I don't know, it seems nice."

"What seems nice?" he asked, more for getting back at her for teasing him.

She blushed. "You know, being out here, being independent, away from the world's troubles." She smiled, her eyes falling onto her lap. "Even if it's just for a little bit. I appreciate our time together."

He nudged her, poking his head under, facing her directly. "You gonna cry?" he teased.

She pushed him. Jason began to laugh hysterically, her face reddening even more. "You jerk," she antagonized. She proceeded to punch him viciously.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he shouted after every other punch. He eyed her, seeing a flustered face coupled with the scowl of her expression made him worry whether she would kill him. "You done punching me to death?"

"For now," she threatened.

It wasn't until they arrived at their destination, that the two went quiet to listen in on the automated message that was relayed to all passengers.

"Entering Apex Central, all passengers, please exit through the nearest entrance. I repeat, now entering Apex Central. All passengers, please exit through the nearest entrance. Thank you, and have a wonderful day." The monotonous voice rang over the train, seizing only after having relayed the same message four times.

The two stood up. "Guess we're here," Jason spoke. At this point, he would have left on his own, seeing as how they arrived at their final destination. But he figured that being with Aurora was a good thing, and if it meant anything, it spelled the possibility of something going further. He wasn't too opposed to the idea.

"Yeah," she replied, breaking him from his thoughts. They smiled at each other. "Well, we're not getting any younger standing around here,' she remarked, stepping off the train. He trailed behind her.

* * *

"It's this way, I know it," Jason shouted over the bustling crowd. He pushed through several people, Aurora tagging from behind, holding his hand so as not to get lost in the crowd.

After having exited the central station, the two made their way towards a rather large crowd of people. It was there, they were told that the underground subway was closed off for the moment, and that scheduled maintenance was being investigated after a certain accident.

Jason, who refused to give up after having come all that way, thought of sneaking around to enter through another route. After all, they didn't need to use the subway. They just needed to take the nearest elevator.

"C'mon Jason, can't we just ask for directions?" Aurora tried shouting over the crowd.

He snickered. "I don't need directions," he shouted back, still pulling her through a mix of teenagers, officers and paramedics.

She chuckled. "What is it with boys and asking for directions?" She didn't have time to even catch a breath, as Jason jerked her forward.

"This way, I think I see an opening," Jason shouted, after the two spent several minutes looking for a way around.

Aurora quickly followed from behind, sometimes having to sprint slightly to keep up with Jason. It didn't help when her arm was still being held by his.

"Here, get down," Jason alerted.

Aurora eyed him, wondering what he was talking about. She noticed two officers standing by the east side of the building, finally realizing what he meant. "Wait, are you sure about this?" she asked. "If we get caught sneaking in, we could get in a lot of trouble."

He shushed her, staring intently at the two cops. "All right, here's the plan," he began after having finished analyzing the cops. "I'll distract the two cops over there, and you sneak in. I'll keep them on hold for a while, while you find the nearest elevator you can. Wait for me, and I'll run in and, you push the button to floor twenty. The doors should close before they can reach us if I run fast enough. Got it?"

"I just have one question?"

He nodded. "Yeah?"

"Are you insane? We can't just trick the cops. Do you realize how much trouble we'd get in to?"

"Yeah, you said that already."

"For a good reason," she countered.

"Are we going to do this, or not?" he asked.

She sighed. "I don't…," she paused for a moment to think of what to say next. "Do you even know if this plan will work?"

He grinned. "I'm hoping." He kept his focus on the two cops standing by the entrance.

She sighed again. "Can you at least ask yourself if this is even worth it? I mean, we don't even know what that message meant, and what if it was all just some stupid joke made by somebody?" She received no reply. "How are you gonna find me after running from the cops?" she finally asked.

"Yeah, I didn't think of that," he replied, quickly getting up. "Now's our chance, let's go."

"No, wait, wait," she shouted after him. She watched as Jason went up to the two officers. She smacked her face, hoping that whatever Jason was planning was not too stupid. "Jason, Jason,' she tried whispering his name. She knew it was useless, but she figured it was better than nothing.

Moments passed, what felt like eternity, before she began to see something, with what looked like a signal coming from Jason's hand. "What kind of stupid symbol is that?" she remarked to herself. She took deep breathes, eyeing the entrance, noticing that the two cops were finally distracted. Whatever Jason was telling them seemed to have them inattentive. That meant it was her cue to go. "All right Aurora, don't mess this up."

She paced her way over the entrance, bending her legs so as to crab walk over. Her heart seemed to race, and for a moment, she thought one of the cops was about to turn. Jason on the other hand, kept throwing hints for her to continue. She nodded to him, holding her breath, until finally she was inside.

After gasping for several seconds, she searched her surroundings, finding the nearest elevator sticking out like an eyesore. Luckily for her, it was very close to the entrance. She proceeded to enter it, and it seemed just in time, as she began to hear the two cops shouting, telling Jason to stop. "C'mon Jason, hurry." She could feel the hairs on her neck begin to stand.

Several footsteps cluttered the lonely hall. Screeches of rubber smearing against the wide marble floor.

"Aurora, Aurora," she heard her name being shouted over the echo. She took a deep breath. This was it. Either they'd get in a lot of trouble, and for what she finally wondered, or take a first trip down under. Either was unclear if it was all even worth it.

She saw him, running to her, shouts from the officers not too far behind. "C'mon Jason, hurry,' she shouted after him.

Jason pulled his legs with all the strength he could muster, feeling his heart beating rapidly. He knew if he stopped, it would be the end of both of them. He couldn't stop, not when he was so close. "Aurora, press the button."

She eyed him questionably. "But what if you get left behind?" she shouted back. He was coming closer, and from the looks of it, the two officers were right behind him.

"Just press it," he shouted back.

She did as she was told, quickly scanning the box for a twenty. "Dammit, where is it, where is it,' she muttered under her breath. All she could see were dials for floors one through twelve. She did the only thing she could think of, she pressed all the buttons, hoping that whichever it was, she pressed it right.

The doors, to her dismay, actually began to close. She could see Jason nearing, her heart pounding with every second that passed by. "Jason," she called out for him. "Hurry!" She began to worry that he wouldn't make it as the doors inched closer and closer together.

By the inch of his foot, Jason rammed himself forward, feeling his body glide through the doors, crash landing onto the wall, before slumping back against the floor. The elevator began to move downwards.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" she asked with a worried tone.

Jason groaned, unwilling to pick himself up, preferring the comfort of the elevator floor. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," he moaned. "Just a little bent up is all."

She chuckled. She let her back fall onto the elevator shaft for support, a hand to her mouth to keep herself from laughing at it all—the strange message, the weird train rides, meeting Jason, the cops, sneaking in, running away, and now taking a detour to wherever was anywhere. Her laughing grew louder.

Jason, concerned, stood up, albeit groggily, walking over to the maniacal woman. "You, you okay?" He placed a hand to her shoulder, but still she kept up the laugh.

"I'm sorry. Really. It's just," she brushed a tear from her eye. "It's just, this day has been probably the weirdest in my entire life. I don't mean bad either, just…weird."

He grinned, not wanting to laugh along as well, he changed the subject. "So, where do you think this elevator is taking us?"

She sighed, eyeing the numbers on the top. They were currently on floor twelve. "I don't know, but it seems we passed the limit, don't you think?"

He gave a questioning look.

She pointed towards the dial pad. "The number doesn't go any higher than twelve."

His expression darkened. "You don't think we broke it, do you?"

She shrugged. "Hey, if we die here and now, at least I was able to spend it doing something interesting, and better yet, away from problems."

He grew silent, aware of Aurora's unspoken history.

"But anyhow, if it means anything, I don't think it's anything to worry about."

Another questionable look entered his face.

She chuckled. "Don't be so dense Jason, just look behind you."

Jason did as he was told, his expression widening.

Much to their surprise, the elevator seemed to have reached a pinnacle, that is, a gathering of different trains and other vehicles, a mass of kids, teenagers and young folk running around, all seeming lost as to where they were exactly.

"Something tells me that the message we received is more than what it seems," Aurora remarked.

He gave her an expression that said "you think".

"What I'm really wondering is how they got here in the first place. I mean, the entrance was blocked off after all."

"Maybe they were here before the accident happened, and they just stayed?" Jason proposed.

"Maybe."

The elevator reached the bottom, its glass doors opening wide, allowing the two to exit the shaft.

"Man, where do all these subways go?" Jason asked in awe.

The girl grabbed his hand. "C'mon, let's board one of these. Maybe we'll find out through there."

Jason didn't have time to react, as Aurora began to lead him to a strange colored train. The train, in better words, seemed rather alone, off to the far side where there were less kids at. She beamed through the crowd, making her way to it.

"Why this one?" was all Jason could think to ask.

She smiled. "Because, it seems rather lonely."

He raked through the rest of the room, noticing that indeed, the other kids preferred the more popular trains. There's was rather lonely. "So, what, you want to take this one?"

She nodded.

He sighed. "Why are we even doing this?" he finally asked.

Her face became crestfallen. "I sort of want to see where it goes. And also, it means I get to spend more," she paused, eyeing him now. She closed her eyes, nodding. "We don't have to go, if you don't want to."

He noticed her spirit become less jovial. He sighed. "That's not what I meant. I just think we should be really careful where we're going."

She grimaced. After all they've done, now he was having second thoughts. "Um…weren't you the one who suggested we trick the cops so we can get here?"

"I was just having some fun," he quickly countered. He moved forward, towards the train's opening. "Besides, I also wanted to see what all the hype was on that message, especially after having found out everyone else was getting it, too."

She began to grow irritated. She scoffed.

"But if it means that much to you that we go all the way, then why not?" He offered her his hand, him holding on to the edge of the door.

She looked at him, unsure of whether she should take his hand.

"C'mon, this might be fun after all."

She couldn't help but smile. It really was like a small adventure. Not only that, but it seemed like her and Jason seemed to really share some sort of connection, or so she hoped. She grabbed his hand, allowing him to help her up the steps.

The two made their way over to some empty seats.

"So, when do you think this train is gonna—," the train began to move, interrupting him. "Never mind, speak of the devil," he remarked.

Aurora, taking the chance, looked out one of the windows, seeing as the train moved through several tracks, before coming close to another train. She could see its passengers, several of the kids looking out their windows, too. She couldn't help but notice a young man who seemed to be looking back at her. He was on the back of train, outside, holding on to one of the metal bars so as to keep from falling off.

It's his expression that made her so surprised. He seemed to have looked away causing her to blush. She too pulled away soon after. Still, she couldn't help but wonder whether she'd seen the boy somewhere before. She tried looking over again, but instead found a large wall blocking her view now.

The train whirred, a loud whistling coming from the engine. Wherever they were going, they seemed to be going there in a hurry.


	2. The Advent

_Hey, guys! I managed to finish this chapter much earlier than I anticipated. Nonetheless, I'm glad to be able to share it with you guys, and I hope you may enjoy it as much as I did writing it! Also, if it feels rushed, it's mainly, because I didn't know how to transition the part between the two arriving in the...oh, well, no spoilers. _

_Please, be sure and like, review, favorite or whatever if you like this story. They really help. Anyways, enjoy!_

* * *

"There's no one else on this train," Jason stated darkly. He slouched back on the spot he first took, sighing heavily. "I can't believe we went on a train, not knowing where it leads, and worse, with no one else in it." He flung his arms upward, letting them fall on his face, before groaning.

Aurora giggled. "Calm down, Jason. I'm sure we'll be fine." She looked out the window, but all she could see was the same dense black fog around. She frowned. She was afraid, but she didn't want to admit it, especially to Jason. The last thing they needed was to start becoming worrisome.

The two, after disembarking from the underground station, had been riding in the train for what seemed forever. It was around that time, that a mysterious black fog began to encroach around, blocking the view to the outside of the train. Since then, they settled until the train arrived at whatever destination it was headed towards.

"Hey, I know what we can do to pass up the time," Aurora suddenly screamed.

Startled, Jason got up. 'What?!"

She laughed again, making him give her a face. She rolled her eyes at him, before grabbing his shirt by the collar. "C'mon, let's go see the conductor."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you want to know where we're going?"

He paused, thinking about it. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I have given that thought, much, uh, thought." Jason got up, allowing Aurora to lead the way to the front of the train.

"You think he'll let us in?" Aurora asked, after the two arrived at the front of the train. They were behind the only door that remained unopened.

He shrugged. He placed his hand on the handle, pulling it, before realizing it was locked. "Well, now what?"

Aurora looked around, before doing the only thing she could think of. She knocked on the door. No answer came back, so she tried again. Still, no answer came.

"Well, there's that for you," Jason mocked. He shoved his hands into his pockets, walking back to the second compartment.

"Where are you going?" Aurora whined. She ran after him, pulling back by the forearm. "You can't just leave, we still have to figure out where we're going." She began to pull harder, upon Jason's resistance, growling hard, on account that he was heavier and stronger than her.

"Let go, Aurora, I'm just going back to my seat. Stop being so weird about this," he growled back. He held back on pulling too hard, because he was afraid he might hurt her.

She continued to pull until the train shook violently, knocking them off their balance.

"What the hell was that," Jason cursed, while rubbing the back of his head. He landed head first.

"I don't—," another violent shake, interrupted the hazel-haired teenage girl. The train began to vibrate heavily, each shake more volatile than the last. "It's an earthquake!" Aurora screamed, while latching on to the nearest object.

"Aurora, just keep holding on," Jason screamed. He began to move towards her, but each shake just pulled him back. One final shake caused him to jerk backwards, making him land hard against the side of the train. That's when he saw it, a strange figure around Aurora, causing his eyes to grow wide. It lasted only for a second, before all he could see was Aurora again.

"What the hell was that?" Aurora screamed, after the train finally went back to normal.

Jason, still stunned, only nodded half-consciously. "Maybe, the earthquake finally stopped," he finally answered.

"Not that." She stood up, her hands still clutching the train's metal pole. "I mean you. Something was around you." She paused, trying to think of a better way to say it. "At least, I think I saw something around you."

His expression widened. "You saw it too!" He stood up quickly.

"What you saw it, too?"

He nodded. "Only, I saw something around you."

She stopped, acknowledging the idea of it all. "Maybe, we just thought we saw something. I mean, the train did shake us kind of hard. We're probably just seeing hallucinations after all the bumping."

He agreed readily. "Let's just go back. I think I've had enough wondering around in this train."

She happily seconded the motion, running out of the primary compartment first. Jason trailed from behind.

"_Whir! Whir!"_ the train roared loudly, causing Jason and Aurora to look up. Only a few minutes had passed since the strange shaking, and now it seems they arrived at their destination.

"So, we're finally here." Aurora got up to look out the window. She gasped, her heart skipping a beat at what she saw. "Oh, my gosh!" She turned. "Jason, come see this, quick!"

Jason got up fast, and scooted next to her. "What the hell!"

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Jason, at a loss for words, only continued to stare on.

The view they were looking at, was much different than their city life ever offered. Trees, upon trees, and flowers, shrubs and other colorful greenery surrounded the plain as far as the eye could see. A lake sat on the edge of the plain, barely visible at the angle they were in.

"_All right, kiddies, time to get off," _a different voice boomed from overhead. The doors to the train opened.

Aurora looked at Jason with worry. "You sure no one else was here?"

Jason nodded. "It must be the conductor."

The two got up, heading out of the train. They took one quick scan of the area, noticing that they were within the premises of a small station. Only two other railroads occupied the vicinity. That's when their train whirred one final time.

"_Well, kiddies, I guess this is good-bye"_ the train spoke, startling them both.

Quick to recover from her frozen state, Aurora dashed to where she thought she heard the train speak. Much to her surprise, the train's mouth was moving. She shrieked loudly, snapping Jason from his fearful trance.

_"Whoa, miss, no need to yell loudly. You almost made me blow a gasket,"_ it joked.

"What the hell are you?" she continued to shriek.

"_Why, I'm Trailmon," the train spoke in a rather fake, but upbeat attitude._

"Trailmon, huh? And I don't suppose you know where we're at?" Aurora figured she either fell asleep in the train, or bumped her head harder than she thought. One way, or another, it didn't matter at this point.

The train continued to laugh._ "Why, you're in the Digital World. Now, if you don't mind, I got a schedule to keep."_ The train began to move backwards, its engine roaring loudly, making them both cover their ears.

"Wait, you can't just leave us here," Aurora shouted after the train. She sighed, after the train was far off now, looking back at Jason. "Please, tell me I bumped my head real hard after the earthquake, and that the train wasn't really talking, but really, I was just hallucinating. Please?"

He shrugged. "If you're hallucinating, then I'm definitely hallucinating."

She sighed again. "Well, now what?'

Jason looked back at the plain, then back at the station, noting the emptiness, then back at the plain. "Well, he did say we were in the "Digital World", wherever that is, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, then, I guess, we could go over there," he pointed.

Aurora looked, noticing a silhouette of some kind resembling a collection of buildings. They shimmered in the heat. "I just hope there's people there. I think I may have seriously injured my head." She began to walk, Jason running by her side.

* * *

"No, I don't want anything. Just, please, get away from me!" Aurora yelled at the top of her lungs. She quickly moved behind Jason, poking her head out to look at the small plant-like sentient creature.

"Awe, come on, Aurora, give the little, uh, plant, some chance." Jason proposed. He tried to step away to allow the plant creature a view of its customer, but Aurora just kept hiding behind him.

Aurora and Jason arrived in a nearby town, twenty or so minutes after being stranded at the station, only to be greeted by strange creatures, who called themselves Digimon. It was soon afterwards, where they were quickly bombarded to buy several things by a local peddler.

"For your information, I am not a little plant." The green plant wiggled its claws, shaking the vase in her hand along with it. "It's Palmon."

"Another mon', huh?" Jason spoke aloud.

"So, are you going to buy something, or am I just wasting my time?" Palmon asked. She tapped her purple claws against her cart to show she was becoming impatient.

"Now, just hold on a sec," Aurora roared from behind Jason. She stepped away from the brunette, quickly walking over to Palmon. "You're the one who persisted in selling us anything, when we—,"

"You mean, you," Jason interrupted.

The hazel-haired girl glared at him. "Aren't you on my side?!"

The brunette, scared, quickly turned his head, pretending he wasn't there.

"Jason," she called him. He kept up the pretension. She growled at him. "Fine. Anyways, like I was saying. You have no right to,"

"Don't point your finger at me, you weirdo," Palmon retorted, slapping Aurora's hand away.

"Weirdo?" She turned to look at Jason, who was still pretending to not be there. "I am not a weirdo, okay," she countered. "You're the one who's weird around here. With your bud-up getup and ugly purple nails. Not to mention that overgrown cactus you call skin."

"Aurora," Jason stood between the two. He glared down at the girl, surprised she even went so far as to say hurtful things.

Aurora, on the other hand, had covered her mouth, realizing what she said. She tried apologizing to Palmon, but the mon' just wouldn't have it.

"I'll be sure to keep a distance from your friend," the plant told Jason. "Also, I guess I should say thanks."

Jason shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "It was nothing, and don't worry about her. I'll be sure to keep her in check."

The plant scoffed, giving one more look at Aurora, and then back at Jason. "I've been meaning to ask you. Just what kind of digimon are you anyway? I've never seen your kind around here."

The brunette looked at her quizzically. "Digimon? You think we're digimon?"

The plant nodded. "Well sure, I mean, what else would you be?"

"We're—,"

Jason was interrupted by the sound of large trumpets.

"Oh, my goodness, is it that time already!" Palmon quickly moved to her cart, prepared to push it away. Jason followed after her, Aurora tagging closely behind.

"Wait, time for what?" Jason asked. He walked beside the green digimon.

"You'll see," was all she said.

The group waited for a few moments, after having stopped, by the side of the road. The sounds of large trumpets died off, but in place of it, were heavy footsteps. Four carriages arrived at the fore of the now-heavy crowd. One of them opened, a strange digimon coming outside, a paper in its hand.

"Listen all, and listen well," the strange digimon roared loud enough for the gathered crowd to hear. "The time has come when the Great Vaticinator must once again, announce to us all, whom the next chosen shall' be. Now I must…,"

"What's going on?" Jason asked Palmon.

"Well, you see, the Great Vaticinator is a digimon called Boromon. He's a digimon who can see into the future."

"Well, okay, but what's he got to do with anything?"

"Just about everything. See that great building over there," Palmon pointed upwards.

The two looked up, noticing a giant structure centered on a tall hill-like mountain.

"That's one of the twelve shrines in the digital world. They say that one of the Great Spirits rests inside of it, and because of it, a Great Vaticinator must occupy it at all times. Sort of like a communion between the Spirit and the Prophet." She looked up at them smiling. "But you guys are lucky to have come just in time. The Great Vaticinator appoints a new digimon only once every year."

"So, basically, this vaticinator guy picks someone every year, and there's twelve of them, who all pick someone, right, therefore resulting in twelve chosen ones?" Palmon nodded in confirmation. "Well, that's great and all, but what's it for?" He turned to look back at the solemn digimon who spoke of a fated advent.

"Well, it's a little complicated to explain it all, so I'll give you the short version. You see, there's this great evil that is spreading from a place called the Dark Area, and once every year, twelve digimon are chosen to sacrifice themselves to keep it at bay."

"That's so cruel," Aurora spoke finally.

The green digimon looked at her, but decided petty problems could be ignored for the moment. "But it gets worse. You see, lately, everyone's been saying that the Great Evil is becoming stronger."

"What makes you say that?" Aurora asked.

The green digimon nodded her head in grief. "So many terrible things have happened lately, and what's worse. Everyone's been saying that the prophets are even panicking. There's chaos everywhere, and, oh…," the green digimon trailed.

Jason smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "It's okay, no need to explain anymore."

She smiled back.

"And now, announcing His Graciousness, I present to you, Boromon, the Prophet of Nimbus Town!"

The gang watched as a large platform, carried by several knight-looking digimon, was placed on the ground. A staff stuck out of the covered platform, followed by a heavy motion from the digimon holding it. He seemed to move forward, raising his cape, his expression widening. "I have come with a prophecy!"


End file.
